Finally Approved: My 16-Day Journey to Complete ICP Filing
After waiting 16 days, I finally received an SMS notification from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology confirming that my filing application was approved. Since I was unfamiliar with the initial filing process, it took a long time. A friend who applied on the same day as me passed in just one week, while I took two weeks.
On the night I registered the domain, I also purchased an Alibaba Cloud server. They offer free filing assistance. Since I had several idle domains and it was my first filing, I decided to file for two domains at once to avoid future hassles. (PS: One Alibaba Cloud server can support up to 5 domains for filing.)
Alibaba Cloud Filing
After filling out the basic information and uploading photos, I received a call from Alibaba Cloud customer service the next day. They informed me that my website name did not comply with regulations (PS: Personal filings should not include keywords like "XX Network," "Community," "Blog," or purely English names). I was asked to modify it. I came up with a temporary name (the actual website name can be changed later), and after the customer service representative updated it, the preliminary review was approved immediately. This step was very fast, taking only one day.
After passing the preliminary review, Alibaba sent a backdrop for photography via SF Express for free. Receiving the backdrop and taking the photos took me 4 days (due to my work schedule and procrastination; it could have been done in 3 days). Then, I filled out the verification form and mailed it to Alibaba Cloud for review. (Actually, the form could have been mailed as soon as the preliminary review was passed. By waiting until after receiving the backdrop photos, I delayed the process by another 3 days.) It took 3 days for Alibaba to receive the verification form, after which they immediately submitted it to the local administration for the final audit.
Regarding the backdrop photography, you must follow the requirements strictly to avoid rejection, although the photo dimensions do not need to be exact, just not too far off.
When submitting for the administration's audit, I happened to encounter a weekend, which extended the time by another 2 days. Finally, after 16 days, I received the SMS notification that my filing was approved. It was truly not easy.
Summary:
- For future filings, prepare and fill out the verification forms in advance (you need three copies; print extra to avoid errors). This can save at least one day.
- If there is an Alibaba Cloud designated photo location nearby, go there directly instead of waiting for mail delivery, which takes at least two days. This can save two days.
- You do not need to wait for the backdrop photos before mailing the verification form; you can mail it immediately after passing the preliminary review. This can save at least three days.
As long as you don't have bad luck (such as encountering holidays), passing the audit within about a week should be no problem. The main reason for my long delay was the lack of experience with the initial filing. Finally, I wish all friends filing their websites good luck and a smooth approval!